Final Farewell
by GalaxyOfPi
Summary: Regulus Black knew that death was coming for him, and that there was no way to run from it. He was as alone in life as he was in the end as he sacrificed his life in the cave in exchange for the Horcrux. This is a one-shot slightly au telling of Regulus finding out about the Horcrux, going to the cave to destroy it, and the reactions to his death.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of Harry Potter nor do I own the rights to anything with Wicked the Musical, where I got the last line of this from.

Regulus knew, from the moment that the wand touched his skin, from as soon as he felt the Mark being burned into his flesh, that his life was over. Dead man walking, he supposed. But there was nowhere for him to run. All his friends were dead or unable to be trusted. Severus was the only one Regulus thought he could trust, but he couldn't put him in any more danger. And no one else care about him except-Regulus's heart clenched-maybe Sirius. Would he turn me away if I came to him? Regulus wondered idly. If I came, forfeiting everything, would he save me from myself? He shook his head, resolving himself. He wouldn't run to Sirius. This was his fight, his problem, his own fault-the Dark Lord would die by his hand and if he himself died in the process, well, it wasn't like he had anything left to live for anyway.

So for the next year, Regulus collected information, listening and recording conversations and the small details that Voldemort let slip in meetings. He stored everything in a small notebook kept tucked behind his dresser that he came to value above all else. He smiled wryly as he scribbled down several more facts that the Dark Lord had carelessly mentioned. Reaching behind him to a wooden bookshelf, he pulled out a navy blue tome and flicked through it, comparing names and dates to his notes. He eventually found a match- one that gave him the last name and address that he needed. He wrote down the address and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes and glancing at the golden watch on his wrist. It was almost 3 in the morning. He glanced at the other beds in the dormitory, making sure that all his roommates were asleep before quietly calling Kreacher to him.

The house elf appeared almost instantly, bowing to him and scurrying to sit next to him on the bed. "Master Regulus?" Regulus became aware that the elf had said his name over three times, but he had tuned it all out. He shook himself, feeling his eyelids drooping. The Christmas holidays started the next day, he told himself. No one would be bothering him or forcing him to go to class, and he could search for the Horcruxes. He shook his head again, refocusing on the present.  
"Can I have another coffee?" Kreacher nodded, but hesitated, eyes flicking to the large stack of coffee cups.

"Master-"

"Another coffee."

Kreacher nodded and disapparated, leaving Regulus alone again with his thoughts. Regulus looked back over his notes, eyes lingering on the two leads he had. The lake he knew for certain. And the house, he wasn't sure about, but thought it was worth a look. His coffee arrived and he sipped at it without thinking, the familiar taste of the sweetened drink lingering on his tongue. There were probably more Horcruxes than just those, he thought, but he was running out of time. The Dark Lord was sending him on less missions, keeping a closer eye on him, and forcing Regulus more onto his guard. He felt like Voldemort suspected him, and if that was true, he may only have days until someone came to dispose of him. If he could go to someone-'Sirius' he forced himself to say-maybe he could buy himself enough time and resources to find all of them and destroy them. Regulus estimated he would be safe for one more meeting, maybe two, so approximately a week, before the Dark Lord moved against him, but his time ran out sooner than he thought.

Regulus had only been home for a day and a half and gotten around four hours of sleep, the most he had gotten in a while, when his mark burned and he realized it was a personal summons, and that he was out of time. He knew that when he didn't show to be personally murdered, the Death Eaters would come for him. Funny how within only minutes an ally can become a victim. Regulus grabbed his wand and the notebook and flew down the stairs, shoving past his mother and out the door, her screeches on disrespect lingering behind him. He made it out of the wards and onto the street and turned to disapparate, but only seconds later felt a burning pain in his side and stumbled back, feeling another spell hit him and throw him into the wall. He gasped for breath, forcing himself to remain grounded and struggled to move from his position.

Through dazed eyes he saw Mulciber and Bellatrix, his cousin, approaching him. Bella wore a gleeful smile that unnerved him to his core as she twirled her wand.

"Hello Regulus." He flicked his eyes towards Mulciber as he spoke and forced himself into a more composed position.

"Funny to meet you here, Mulciber." He made his voice sound as careless as possible, all the while pressing his hands against the gash in his side in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding.

"Hmm, I suppose it is funny to meet you here too, Regulus. Did I simply imagine the Dark Lord calling for you?" Mulciber flashed his teeth in a smile. "Or did you just decide not to show up?"

Regulus's blood ran cold. Scrabbling behind him for his notebook that he had dropped, he focused on his new plan. Find Sirius, explain what was happening, destroy the Horcrux. "I was just getting ready to meet him." The lie sounded weak even to himself, and he couldn't muster a smile to try to back it up. He felt himself growing weaker, and forced himself to remain strong. He needed to get away.

Mulciber nodded, eyes too wide and believing to be able to be trusted. "Well, then I would hate to hold you up, but say, Regulus, we felt there was something that needed some more explanation. The Dark Lord has...suspicions, about someone. And when that someone becomes a threat, they must be disposed of, yes?"

Regulus's breaths came faster as he pulled himself slowly to his feet, biting back a groan of pain. "And who is this person?" He felt a sudden flash that something was horribly wrong. Beyond the obvious of Mulciber coming to kill him, he felt as if he forgot about something. Then he felt a blinding pain that exploded along his side and back and sent him flying. Bellatrix's face was alight with glee as she cackled at her cousin. Regulus rolled on the ground and knew that his time was up. He snatched his wand and felt a surge of desperation as he saw Mulciber and Bellatrix converging on the notebook laying on the ground, too far away for him to reach. He pulled his magic and hate into a roiling ball of flames and set the notebook ablaze. In the scramble that ensued, Regulus forced himself to his feet and disapparated, seeing a blur of motion and light as the book turned to dust and Mulciber shot a spell at him that set his entire world alight. He vanished into the crushing darkness, praying to get to Sirius before he blacked out from pain.

Regulus felt the darkness lift and found himself sprawled on the entry way of his brother's flat. With shaking hands, he forced himself to knock, using the doorknob to pull himself up from his spot on the floor. He used all the strength he had to make an attempt at healing the gashes, and leaned on the railing, shaking himself to stop himself from blacking out. The door opened after what felt like an eternity and through blurry vision he saw his brother.

"Siri." His brother's face turned from a neutral expression to disgust and surprise at the sight of him and started to close the door, but Regulus stumbled forwards, almost falling over the threshold before catching himself on the rough wall. "Just-just listen, please, I made a mistake and the Dark Lord- he wants me dead. I didn't know where else to go, but please, Siri, I need you, brother-"

Sirius leaned away from him in disgust. "Well, for once I hope he succeeds."

Regulus felt tears at the corners of his eyes and his mouth fell open slightly. "You're the only one I have left, please, you're my only hope-"

"Then you have no hope." Sirius shoved him back, and Regulus couldn't force himself to recover. He lay sprawled on the cold floor, watching as Sirius turned to close the door. "If he can kill you for me, then good riddance. You're a monster, and you're not my brother. You never were. I never want to see you again."

Regulus watched through glazed eyes as the door slammed, and his fate was sealed. Through cracked lips, he called for Kreacher, and went to the cave. Death was coming for him, and he may as well die doing something right. Even if no one knew, even if no one cared. He was numb as he drank the potion, the searing pain feeling far away and distant. He felt oddly empty as the cold hand dragged him down into the icy water, hardly hearing Kreacher's last desperate cry before he was gone, and Regulus was alone. His hazy mind wandered as the murky water slowly covered and engulfed him, dragging him down through the dark depths. Maybe, he thought, this would be the end. Then the darkness finally consumed him and he was free.

Sirius propped his head up on his hand as he listened to reports on recent raids and suspected Death Eaters. His mind kept wandering, but he snapped back to reality as heard a name. "...Regulus Black, Cheriss Underwood-"

"What?" His head slipped off his hand. "What did you say about Regulus?"

He saw uncomfortable looks being traded all around the table, saw James's sympathetic and pitying look and everything clicked into place, leaving him cold. "No. No. He- Regulus-Regulus is fine, I just saw him, it must have been three hours ago now, but he-"

"An hour ago he was pronounced dead." Moody's harsh voice cut through his wild stammering.

The cold statement felt like a train had smashed into him and he staggered blindly from the room, collapsing on the floor of an unused side room, shaking. Three hours ago Reg had been alive and, well, maybe not in great condition, but he had been alive. But as of an hour ago, he was gone. The baby brother he grew up with protecting and loving, the one he had sworn to protect and be there for no matter what, was dead. He was barely seventeen, hardly an adult, not even graduated from Hogwarts. And he had come to Sirius, something that must have been hard to do, and apologized for everything, begged for his help and-Sirius let out a choked sob, hardly registering James's arm around his shoulders. His brother had come, badly injured from who knows what and asked him for help, told him that he was all that he had left, and had been turned away. He had called him a monster, said he wasn't his brother, and said he never wanted to see him again. Bitter tears forced their way out as he realized that the one wish that had come true was the one he had never truly wished for.

The funeral was a week later. He attended under James's invisibility cloak, not having the strength left to stay composed when he heard Regulus's body was never recovered. Whatever had happened to him would never be known. And it was his fault. He had sent his little brother to his death, a death Sirius never would have expected, one that he would never be able to fully come to terms with without knowing what happened.

Regulus was gone. No one would mourn him, because no one ever knew the real him. Regulus, far too good for the world he was thrown brutally into, was gone. And no one ever mourns the wicked. 


End file.
